The Asterisk War Sucks [COMPLETE EDITION]

[@Trixiethegoldenwitch]

*NOTE: I no longer have a Crunchyroll sponsorship... preeeetty sure they blacklisted me lol

[@sinussi7571]

Wait, what did I miss? Why would a company refuse to take ones money? Edit: Fuck I somehow read that as the cancelled her subscription for whatever reason. It makes a lot more sense now.

[@sinussi7571]

@Christopher Cruz ? I don't understand, that's not really a reason to cancel someone's subscription to your service

[@emberreviews1364]

@@sinussi7571 They paid Digi directly for however many people signed up for CR from the video. If the vids aren't viewed enough it's not worth letting someone have a sponsorship link... ...and also cause Digi shat on them and their business practices relentlessly over the past 2-3 years

[@overkill1340]

@@sinussi7571 Sponsorship, as in she was being paid to promote Crunchyroll. I'm pretty sure she doesn't have a sponsorship anymore because she crapped on their entire service.

[@cocoroach_ok]

@Christopher Cruz I thought it's because Digi is kinda "problematic" and Crunchyroll just doesn't wanna associate with that type of content creator. They just want safe and milquetoast content creators now lol Or probably because in the past, Digi made a video why Crunchyroll kinda sucks

[@mortshade6554]

"What happens when you put Kirito's face on Ayato?" Me: sitting there waiting for the animation where it changes... Me: Realizing he already did it and I couldn't tell the difference.

[@PrajnaIsPrajna-exceptPrajna]

Ye

[@364-unbirthdays8]

Wait. I didn't even notice that he swapped it, I thought he left it to our imaginations. WOAH.

[@C0astDelta]

I hate the show but I still watch it. It's a drug, I need to stop watching it. WHY DO I WATCH IT

[@shadowninja2338]

Yep

[@RandomPerson-cm2wg]

@@C0astDelta Bro, you’re probably better off going on actual drugs instead. XD

[@energyipad5566]

"I haven't even really talked about the main character guy yet" You have been calling him mostly Kirito for about an hour. That says quite a bit about him

[@jackgamin694]

but is there really that much to talk about lol

[@spiralmatt8946]

@@jackgamin694 Pretty much he's just an overpowered teen protagonist that gets all the girls just like Touya from isekai wa Smartphone.

[@ConvincingPeople]

Oh, once she gets to what he's actually like, Kirito begins to look likeable by comparison. It's horrifying.

[@michealtaormina1561]

also says something about kirito

[@whimsicalchronicles8798]

@@spiralmatt8946 only difference being touya is a parody character who's like that BY DESIGN

[@scorpiolight]

That poster is the definition of “Graphic Design is my Passion”

[@TheAweDude1]

I really like how Chivalry of a Failed Knight is seen as really good for doing *something* when compared to Asterisk War. It's refreshing to see a usually caustic critic go "You know what, this show is okay. It's fine. There's nothing bad about it, and there is no reason to actively dislike this show. Sure it stumbles a bit and doesn't do too much new or exciting, but it's fine." It's oddly wholesome.

[@freman007]

I really liked the romance in it, because it was a very mature relationship. They meet, they decide they like each other, they decide they'll get married. Then they're there for each other come what may.

[@liesandy291]

Not to mention the op is a banger.

[@fatmanfalling]

This brings back good memories of that time I got called an Isis member for not wanting to watch the Asterisk War. Good times

[@CodeBlazeFate]

Of all the asinine insults I've seen more casual anime fans throw...this is probably one of the wildest and most childish, especially when it's for a show *this bad*.

[@starhound45]

Jesus that's harsh. Any reason they gave why?

[@CodeBlazeFate]

@@starhound45 People like that only need to hear not positive things about their show to start rattling off...like say, not wanting to watch a show that looked like absolute fuckshit, as per what happened in this scenario he's reminiscing on.

[@auralunaprettycure]

There are so many good old anime to watch lmfao I can't believe anyone cared enough about Asterisk War enough to be so shitty to you for disliking it haha

[@Gooberpatrol66]

Inshallah

[@NXTangl]

What's extra hilarious about this generic wish fulfillment fantasy is that One Punch Man proved that "too powerful for anything to be a legitimate threat" can be a compelling story, and "bored" is a perfectly valid thing for a selfless hero to be. In this exact same anime season. Also, I would greatly enjoy a completely bullshit dub where the characters aren't sure what's going on and comment on every trope, and maybe reference Ghost Stories. Or just have Purple Eyes write the script.

[@sebastianchavez1225]

God, Purple Eyes could do great work with this

[@bloody4558]

Superman did that for decades however, proving that even when you're excessively strong you can still find things that will challenge you from out of your zone of confort.

[@RoyalFusilier]

"Yeah, I'm not sure what happened either. Pretty sure I died."

[@pickedceasar1216]

@@bloody4558 yet Marvel can't figure it out with Franklin Richards

[@Cosmik60]

@@RoyalFusilier whoever made Kyoko say that is the greatest being to ever exist

[@avascript3905]

The “A1” in A1 pictures is actually the hex code for the number of face templates they have

[@neaneoneunuo9651]

Dude A1 equals to 161 in decimal. Thats A LOT.

[@henriquefinger935]

I don't think that's how floating point numbers work.

[@neaneoneunuo9651]

Charlie, your comment is a new low in the world of science and mathematics dude

[@thedude6058]

that would be a lot of faces

[@NOX814]

The "A1" in A1 studios is actually meant to more represent the Sauce you use a Bland Tasteless steak. If you eat the Steak for the sauce, you shouldn't be having steak that's as Bland Tasteless Unremarkable and Bad as it is Drenched in Fan Ser- I mean Sauce.

[@ptero93]

You going from calling the protagonist "light novel guy" to "kirito" and then to his actual name shows more character development in this review series than anyone in the actual show gets

[@nutmegdoesstuff1339]

Consider: The effect where she breaks the aspect ratio isn't goofy and terrible or kickass, it's incredibly goofy and kickass.

[@danielzakgaim2764]

"Chivalry of a Failed Knight" is basically an anime palate-cleanser. It's not amazing, but its better than some of its contemporaries. It's a neutral ground.

[@Schwiwi]

they're literally the same

[@kalebtewodros]

At least chivalry had some effort with the blade s and attack types. I wouldn’t call it a bad show almost as much as I wouldn’t call it a good show. Also, great Opening theme and a lot of personal nostalgia, so I might be biased

[@champiggyfrm_pig5271]

@@Schwiwi literally not. Rakudai kishi manged imo, to make a magic school like no other did, it truly felt like the characters actually struggled and thus grew to get stronger both physically and mentally. Also I love how they made the fights, especially the last part of the anime, you can really see the attention for detail. On top of that rakudai kishi absolutely does not got the harem route. And the opening is incredible both the music and the very dinstinct artstyle. While Asterisk was just the bland magic highschool-going, harem-having underdog ptotagonist.

[@Lyander25]

I sometimes rewatch the last two episodes of Rakudai Kishi just for the massive hype that final match ended up culminating in.

[@champiggyfrm_pig5271]

@@Lyander25 That final fight is just so unique both in the artstyle and the choregraphy

[@lucapon3287]

Even almost 3 hours in, every time he says "Asterisk War" I always think its some sort of massive war that broke out long before the events of the story. But no, its just a very unfitting name for an anime with no wars

[@DREADLURKER]

That's what i thought too

[@FunnyAnimatoFilms]

It sounds like the name of a House of Cards style political satire about trying to pass a bill full of clashing sacred cow ammendments.

[@steelsoild6909]

That's what it SHOULD have been not gonna lie.

[@Irisverse]

It's not even an accurate translation of the Japanese title, which means like "Academy City Asterisk" or something.

[@Sh12pen]

Bruh ​@@Irisverse

[@Indie_Maker]

"this guys entire career is more interesting then anything that happens in the show" I'm fucking dead

[@maku5]

Time stamp ?

[@Indie_Maker]

@@maku5 I posted this a year ago, sorry I have no clue now but I hope you found it as funny as I did

[@CosmicMira]

@@maku5 40:49

[@maku5]

@@CosmicMira thanks aton og

[@Cobalt360Degrees]

It's true tho. Also definitely check out his band Platina Jazz. They're excellent.

[@MrSupersonic2012]

The McDonalds comparison of Asterisk War is very fitting. So I guess Chivalry is basically Wendy's. It's still cheap and easily consumable, but there's a tiny bit more thought and quality in this other show.

[@Brawler_1337]

Maybe more like Five Guys? Or maybe that’s more indicative of a 7/10 or 8/10.

[@asandax6]

I just recently watched both shows Chilvalry first then Asterisk War and I see no difference in quality what so ever. It's just the same thing with different characters.

[@the_rose_garden01]

@@asandax6 Chivalry actually advances characters and has more thought put into it. Character progression isn't just "wow, he's so much stronger now!" MC and main girl have a relationship that progresses up until a marriage proposal. They struggle as a couple and over come their relationship problems. Few action anime have a romance that will do that, it's usually wishy washy bullshit. It's also got a lot of really well choreographed fight scenes unlike Asterisk.

[@xavieralejandrorodriguezca3531]

2:30:00 kino McDonald's moment

[@renaldyhaen]

@@asandax6 Maybe you just watch the episode 1 of both anime. That's why you see it same.

[@WynnofThule]

You know, here's an idea of how Saya could've worked. She's got a deadpan exterior but internally frets and overthink things. She's got two reasons to be deadpan, firstly as a mask and secondly because her worries suck the enjoyment out of everything. This could also tie into her hammerspace, wanting to always have a tool for any situation.

[@darkjelly944]

I've got something to add to that. What if instead of the "childhood friend", she could act as the main group's tech expert? Her dad already creates weapons for a living, so it wouldn't be a stretch to assume that maybe she learned some things from him, and she puts that knowledge into use by offering maintenence, upgrades, and repairs for the main characters' weapons. Maybe the reason why she didn't show up for the first day would be because she and her dad were busy working on a huge project for the school, which would later reveal to be the state-of-the-art traning room the characters use throughout the series. Also no crush on Ayato.

[@questionmarkquestionmarkques]

@@darkjelly944 while we're at it we could remove the ayato crush from most of the other characters that have it

[@FierceCast]

The magnum opus of the online japanese cartoon critiquing community, in a glorious 4 hour special edition that captures your attention in such a large timespan which puts Lord of the Rings to shame.

[@toatrika2443]

@@kaizokujimbei143 *she

[@nef36]

@@toatrika2443 *used to

[@toatrika2443]

@@nef36 ?

[@nef36]

@@toatrika2443 You're trying to correct the person above for using the wrong pronoun, because we all die if they do, and I'm pointing out the fact that they're referring to Digi when she was still male.

[@toatrika2443]

@@nef36 i never implied any sort of gravity related to my correction. Also the past tense doesnt affect her pronouns. A good example of this would be if I were to say "President Obama used to do something". This is obviously an incorrect statement since as I am writing this Obama is not president anymore. You would instead say "ex-president". This example shows that when you are talking about a person you use their current status (title, pronouns, ...) and then relate it to whatever you want to talk about. This is just how the english language works. If you wanted to use "he" anyway, you would have to somehow make clear that it is no longer appropriate (similar to using the prefix ex- with a title) or have written your comment at a time at which it was still correct to use that pronoun. Sorry if i am not concise, its like 7 am and i havent gone to sleep yet... Oh, and also just to clarify: misgendering someone doesnt kill anyone, its more like mixing up someone's name. It happens and is sometimes umcomfortable for all parties involved, but can easily be cleared up by correcting the misconception.

[@umu8912]

Back when this came out I had just started really getting into anime. I was basically watching ANYTHING and I was in 5th grade. I wrote a really long comment saying how this video sucked and that Asterisk War was really good. Everyone roasted the fuck out of me in the comments so I came back like a year or 2 later to delete it. I’m just gonna leave this comment here to complete the circle because it turns out Asterisk War really did suck lmao. Edit: For reference, I’m in 11th grade now.

[@cowboyslime3615]

Character development

[@monotone2256]

now thats a character arc if ive ever seen one

[@NoLifeWood]

Timeskip

[@bocchithean-cap3404]

I want to see the original comment

[@khatunamezvrishvili6211]

NOOO I wanted to see the original comment

[@dannykazari]

Oh god was this really from 2015.... that somehow feels both like forever ago and only just last year at the same time

[@UltaFlame]

Welcome to not being a teenager anymore. Years just vanish, huh

[@rushpatriot2866]

@@UltaFlame I graduated in 2015 😭

[@UltaFlame]

@@rushpatriot2866 that's rough buddy

[@stardoogalaxie9314]

Me in 2015 is being miserable about sao or things that arent smart enough for me. Me now is after Ive seen Eva and decided that enjoying myself despite the stupidity of the media I watch is a better option than being miserable.

[@UltaFlame]

@@stardoogalaxie9314 ah, wisdom. Youth 'tis wasted 'pon the young.

[@Godsgrampa38]

"If I can convince someone that there's a meaningful difference between a 1 out of 10 and a 2 out of 10, then I've done my job." This. This right here really feels like the thesis of of this 4 hour video essay, and I couldn't agree more.

[@bakuhakudraws5603]

"My point is that you could write a textbook chapter on Feminist Theory using this arc so we're about to go balls deep in this bitch" is such an underrated joke.

[@AdrianEN]

sounds like a punchline you would find in an Eminem song; I love it

[@killcount4750]

@@AdrianEN when did he say it

[@xavieralejandrorodriguezca3531]

@@AdrianEN true. He was a big Eminem fan too so the writing influence might be there.

[@JyoukeroJyougemu]

@@killcount4750 2:33:46

[@umbreonofshadows]

Jesus Christ 4 hours. I didn’t truly realize how much content was in this series until now. Cheers digi

[@nicolasparra7240]

Still have seen this series 4 times

[@Pokemonleafmon]

@@nicolasparra7240 Same. It's kind of depressing to think about what I could have watched in that time. 0 regrets

[@Practicallypreposterous]

Mauler watchers: four? Those are rookie numbers

[@bernkastel7438]

@Just Some Guy With A Long Hairstyle I hope this is satire.

[@cassiopeiathew7406]

Ok, why is it good. After 3 hours of negative criticism and dissection of this show and why it’s bad what can you say to justify it being good? If you mean chivalry of a fair knight I can’t disagree with you that it’s good because I think it was good, but if you are arguing for asterisk war explain why it isn’t an abhorrent mess.

[@FM-ny6cn]

I have some kind of masochistic nature with these anime... I despise their existence, yet I enjoy watching them... I'm always rewatching garbage like Kenja no Mago, Asswars, in another world with my smartphone, the second half of the 1 season of SAO, anifureta, fcking ragnarok, and even the live action of deathnote... It has come to the point where i found myself reading volume after volume of the fcking LN of anifureta, just to see how far can go the trainwreck... I just love to bitch about everything too, i guess

[@Dracosfire14]

Please post your thoughts somewhere, I'd love to hear what you think because I'm interested in the trash, but have dove into glass enough times to be unwilling to actually watch them. That's what people like Digi do, but more voices wouldn't hurt.

[@waynetan4485]

Having a guilty pleasure to read/ watch shit anime isnt wrong i mean i kinda had that phase

[@iman5147]

Whenever I see anime like this, I go through this phase: "I know this anime is gonna be shit.... But...." **Presses A button** "I must..." **5-8 episodes later...** "Why did I do this to myself? Why!?"

[@crookedwell8527]

I respect a person who can confidently say that they like (or are at least drawn towards) an anime that they, of their own accord, know full well is garbage. Their is no reason a person can’t love an anime while also thinking that it’s the most terrible and generic piece of crap in their watch history. Sometimes you might love something because it’s terrible. I know I do.

[@RoyalFusilier]

Hate can draw your attention way better than something that's just 'okay' or 'acceptable'. In fact, I personally believe the worst thing a piece of art can ever be is 5/10. Then you get nothing from it, not even a cautionary tale about what not to do.

[@Fillardmillmore]

This video is almost as long as 12 episode anime

[@okkoheinio5139]

24min*12=288min = 4h 48min Skip op/ed: (-3min) 21min*12=252min =4h 12min Length of the video: 4h 8min 30s Yeah, it's not that much shorter

[@nijuhinaa]

@@okkoheinio5139 perfection

[@RoyalFusilier]

Imagine if somebody put professional-quality subtitles over this, and released it on Japanese national television. I know that literally can't happen, but man. It might actually reach some of the people it needs to.

[@Bob-bs9ok]

@@RoyalFusilier that would be beautiful

[@PrajnaIsPrajna-exceptPrajna]

Wait this isn’t an anime?

[@Kirbita22]

i was 15 years old when i first stumbled across the Asterisk War. i had no real taste to speak of other than "anime is cool", and crunchyroll tried to convince me this was a really good show via the ads, so i sat down to watch it. i got smacked in the face with the most barebones excuse for a scene to excuse fanservice in the first 8 minutes, and was too stunned to form any thoughts. i dont remember how far i got into the episode before giving up i think this show combined with the age i was at the time washed away my illusions about anime as a monolith of Mostly Pretty Good Stuff

[@mrmacias4217]

So you're like 20 or 21

[@spaghetto9836]

It was the opposite for me as a kid. I always viewed anime as a bunch of nonsensical power level fights, edgy protags who were interchangeable, objectified women, dull humor that never cracked me a smile, and the hub of creepy men who are shut-ins. I hated cute anime girls too bc they were annoying to me. Then, the 1st anime I actually watched was One Punch Man. It went against almost every idea I had & I liked the unique premise. Then I saw Saiki K., and didn't go an episode without genuinely laughing. After that I finished Erased & loved the mystery, and later got into MHA until I was up to date on the 5th season bc it was that fun. Fast forward and I still find cute girls annoying as hell (my *only* exception is the hamster in a onesie, idk her name 💀) & see some glaring issues in the media, but my views on anime definitely got better, along with how I see weebs. Or at least- those who don't emit Chernobyl levels of radiation.

[@reguluscorneas5908]

@@spaghetto9836 try re zero

[@mielkavra]

​@@spaghetto9836 I viewed anime as a more boring media except for those rare ones: Beyblade, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Super Yoyo. I like plots that mean nothing to the characters. Why? That's because doujins and hentai exist! Look at Redo of Healer, trash characters, brutal scenes, and almost no character development, but it's my most highly rated "anime" of all time.

[@spaghetto9836]

@@mielkavra It... it feels like you're just bragging about having bad taste, man.

[@masterplusmargarita]

I finally got around to watching Chivalry after all these years, and was quite impressed. It's no masterpiece or anything, but I think it's maybe the best of this mould of LN adaptations I've seen (not that that's a high bar to clear, and I've not exactly watched a lot of them). One thing I really like that's not mentioned in the video is how the student council president is presented. Before her big fight with Shizuku, we don't really see her or know anything about her - in every scene where the student council shows up, they make a point of mentioning the president is absent. When she does show up to kick the rock golems' asses, she only gets a line or two, and they're generic serious battle dialogue - "Get them to safety", "I'll handle this", that type of stuff. During her fight with Shizuku she's completely mute and is just presented as this impenetrable wall for Shizuku to bang her head against, like this larger than life force of nature who beats Shizuku. And then in the next episode, Ikki hangs out with her and she's like, a chill, normal girl who's overall pretty pleasant and warm - she's not a hardass as you're lead to believe, nor does the show do the thing where a badass girl turns out to be all soft and feminine in a way you wouldn't expect from a warrior - a lot of shows would either make her a klutz, or an airhead, or an ara-ara onesan type. She's just like, a pretty cool, chill girl, with strong convictions and a motivation. I think that's a really cool setup and payoff, and it makes her more interesting than if she were more of a trope. It brings this world where every fighter is this over the top anime archetype a little more into reality by showing that normal-ass people exist too, and can be just as relevant power-wise as more typically "anime" characters. I don't know, it really tickled my "hey, this is neat" bone.

[@kingrocky7519]

Honestly, this makes me feel incredibly nostalgic. This was the first video series that really got me into thinking critically about anime, and media as a whole. Thanks for ruining my life Digi.

[@CollegeDroputPowerpoints]

Its a sad thing really. All the effort (by definition it is effort) put into this show could have been put into a show some indie creator had for the studio. Even if it was half the word put into this it could be groundbreaking.

[@kreatona4219]

This was honestly one of my first introductions into anime and seeing this after so many years and now finally understanding what he's saying. It's because of this series that I didn't fall into the trap of watching shitty fan service wish fulfillment anime and I couldn't thank him more

[@spaghetto9836]

I always roll my eyes when ppl act like movies/shows/cartoons can be critiqued & dissected, but anime is untouchable for some reason. I'm glad whenever I see channels who hold anime to the same standard (as it should be held), helping me write better stories and characters in turn. I'm also glad when folks realise anime isn't immune to homophobia or racism either, or not treating sexual assault with care, and call it out- it isn't something to be excused with culture since there are many spectacular animes that don't do that.

[@Killgore-ip2yq]

Same.

[@blindbeholder9713]

A self identifying weeb in my english class told the teacher about a light novel he was reading and the teacher asked what a light novel is. I offered up "The japanese equivalent of pulp" and the more I think about it the more accurate it seems.

[@andrejg4136]

I believe that this is an entirely correct assessment. Pulp novels are not necessarily bad, but you understand that it's the sorta "Wal-Mart" of literature; stuff meant to be mass produced, consumed within the frame it was released, and then not thought about deeply afterward before the next book in the series or entry from that publisher. Then again, pulp fiction does have a way of under-girding the more notable fictional entries from different eras. Like Star Wars is built off of playing with or against tropes from pulp sci-fi from the 50s to early 70s. Gundam '79 the same way with Space Opera anime of its day.

[@mRidley508]

I think thats literally exactly what it is. I think the only difference between pulp and light novels is the fact that they come from japan and they cater more to weeaboos.

[@ConvincingPeople]

One interesting wrinkle is that the light novel started out as an explicitly experimental medium, with anthology series such as Young Faust being full of genuinely boundary-pushing and strange fiction. Thus, the potential for transgression is more "baked in" with light novels than a lot of other pulp media where the opportunity to create weird and unfettered art is more a byproduct of the lack of editorial oversight. That said, what dominates the medium now is… rarely so cutting edge.

[@UshankaMaster]

@@ConvincingPeople what's young faust? Can't find anything on it

[@CanaldoZenny]

I don't really like Digibro, but i always kept comming back to rewatch the Asterisk Wars rant series. As someone who tried hands on fanzines and fanfic in my teens, this series is a great way to explain how to not write a story and how to make something good even with crap sources. I still think the original 13 videos playlist is the best anime review series on this website. Also, i like the overall editing style of this videos: its very laid back, easy to just listen while doing something else or sleeping to. I like how he never uses any background music, never yells, barely uses audio clips from the the shows he's reviewing. No pointless jokes, not even asking for subs and likes. Good job on this series, i may not watch your content anymore and i disagree with a lot of your opinions, but this one will remain one of my all time favorites things from youtube.

[@RoyalFusilier]

I too am not always a fan of where digi takes things, or the company he keeps, and I'm perpetually a little concerned he'll fall tumbling down some radical rabbit-holes... but god damn if he's not on with direct media analysis. I'll be coming back long after I forget other reviewers, or generally tire of the whole 'angry nerdy boi tells you why something is bad in a video' format. I particularly appreciate the lack of skits. A few aren't bad, but once it starts, it never ends with just 'a few'.

[@wannabehistorian371]

Agreed!

[@kappadarwin9476]

Reading the Light Novel. Asterisk war is pretty good.

[@leonardofarias8843]

@@kappadarwin9476 How is the story going with a proper pacing?

[@SarifaXionic]

My favorite part is the tournament arc. I went back and watched a few and My Hero Acdemia was always my favorite one and I never knew why until this video. It’s not drawn out too long it has all 3 types of rivals and it has a clear winner.

[@ilikeduckies123]

“The fall 2015 anime season” bro… time flies by way too fast.

[@spawnofheck504]

As an amateur sewer myself, I find Julice's sewing kit hilarious. At 2:06:23 we can see that she has 1 needle and three pins. How the hell is she going to get anything done with three pins? and what if she needs a needle with a different eye size? Her thread collection is even MORE atrocious- she has two spools of a light blue, one of white, one of green, and one of pink. It's incredibly difficult to mend a tear with a thread that doesn't match the fabric color- your stitches ALWAYS show up that way. Neither of the blue spools match with Ayato's jacket. That is not going to be well mended in the slightest. Hell, Those thread colors barely even match her own uniform- half of the damn thing is black!! The only piece of her uniform she could reliably mend with those colors is her jacket. Of course, that's only if she KNOWS HOW TO ACTUALLY SEW. Just look at her atrocious attempt at 2:06:27. When she puts the needle through the fabric (which is also lazily animated she's clearly not doing a very good job), The thread SOMEHOW doesn't stay anchored in the spot where she pulls the needle back through. It just lazily trails behind the needle, hanging lazily to the side as if someone just drew a random line (which they totally did). And even if you ignore that entirely, she's still doing a shit job of mending the tear. She's not even changing where she makes her stitches- she's just moving the needle in a little circle, stopping whenever the animator decided she should readjust her hand. I know none of that actually matters, but it still pissed me off so I had to rant about it

[@cryforhelp7270]

I love people ripping shit apart through the power of niche interests

[@ptero93]

It was an entertaining rant to read, so thanks

[@spawnofheck504]

@@ptero93 aww ty!

[@Abyssno1dad]

I don’t know who you are and I haven’t watched the video yet, but I know for a FACT that anyone who puts this much effort and time into critiquing a show they hated deserves my sub. edit: I watched the whole thing and I’ll do it again

[@crsp2056]

They got us in the first half not gonna lie.

[@calmrag6143]

I watched it aaaaaaaaaa

[@The100ss]

First time?

[@blablablaj]

Isn't this digibros voice though ? Like this channel isn't the original creator of these video series

[@paru-chinbaka5214]

@@blablablaj This channel is Diginee's new channel

[@Enderlinkpawnu]

I think its pretty sad and a tell tale sign that an anime is bad when a character's personality category on the wiki consists of a single, six word sentence.

[@kreatona4219]

Hey, I'm genuinely surprised that they even got one sentence from that piece of paper of a person

[@timothymclean]

That's not fair. The detail a wiki goes into for any given character has less to do with how much detail is actually needed to describe that character than it does with the size of the anime's fandom. Some wikis have dozens of active contributors writing and expanding wiki pages on a daily basis, while others have one dude that lost interest when they realized nobody else cared enough about their favorite anime to read a wiki article.

[@actuallyanimatics2938]

Digi: But not so much as to not be able to tell that her hair’s purple. Me: HER HAIR’S PURPLE?

[@Diego-zz1df]

3:52:23 Though I get what you mean, I'd like to add one thing: It's a good portrayal of a teenage couple with different levels of sexual maturity. She's more willing to have sex than he is, he's still uncomfortable with intimacy, they try to do it, he admits he still can't and she respects that. Compare this to all the psychotically predatory and rapey female characters in harem/romance animes that will repeatedly assault the MC, no matter how many times he insists he doesn't want to have sex, all for the sake of "comedy".

[@is_belle]

hit the nail on the head as to why i like their relationship soo much

[@FaizeofMist]

High key why I stopped watching Aria Scarlet Amino. I put it on in the background of work the first time and it was the most balanced blend of turn off brain action that I could watch it enough to understand what's going on, and still be weirdly productive. At the same time enjoying it on a surface blanket action monkey brain level. It even got a genuine few laughs out of me for how bananas silly it was. I remember distinctly that it was not too long after I'd watched this video for the first time, because the first episode nearly beat for beat mirrored Trixie's description of light novel opening tropes. Then I got to the episode where one girl tried to force MC to dig a pencil out of her tittys and the childhood friend tried to force herself onto him in the nurse's office. Both of which he stated out loud he didn't want. So I stopped and never went back. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@jakespacepiratee3740]

@@FaizeofMistthis is actually why I stopped watching Helluvaboss lol

[@angelquarts]

It never ceases to amaze me how in Japan, shit-tier online fanfiction-level writing can not only get officially published as novels, but actually get anime adaptations as well. Makes me want to move to Japan and write some basic-ass story with my OCs that contains just enough otaku pandering to gather a decent audience... then watch as it gets a manga & anime adaptation. EZ Game, better than having to pay for art commissions.

[@Chadfill8348]

And then you would commit suicide after seeing the amount of fetish art made using your female characters

[@tomfoolery7797]

It's not just Japan, Hollywood has made some real stinkers as well.

[@Aspen071]

Sir, have you heard about 50 shades of grey?

[@michealtaormina1561]

fanfiction is a whole other beast, one thats objectively better then this schlock

[@yoman7873]

You never watched Kissing Booth, After, 50 shades of gray, Tall Girl, all garbage novels that were published on Wattpad and than got movie adaptation and garnered insane popularity among teenagers. America produces just as much garbage as Japan.

[@gorcshurut4934]

If anybody thinks this is kicking a dead horse for four hours, I honestly recommend a go. It's more like a, "how to realise your sci-fi setting lacks substence" kinda lecture I guess. Anyway, thanks for the upload, much easier to re-watch like this.

[@gorcshurut4934]

@Janeiro I I don't even know about the first one, but yeah, I remember liking Kiddy Grade

[@RoyalFusilier]

As a creative, I found many parts of this extremely handy ot think about.

[@TheIronArmenianakaGIHaigs]

This man preaches the truth. It's good to have this massive collection in one place now.

[@nijuhinaa]

@@Froad explain please

[@irregularstuff5290]

@@nijuhinaa transition, I guess? If this is the case, good luck for Digi.

[@Goombalove3000]

@@kaizokujimbei143 You know, I didn't realise Digi was trans until I saw these comments. I wish her the best of luck, and I hope your bigoted views get shoved in a bin. Thanks!

[@Goombalove3000]

@@kaizokujimbei143 sir, this is a Wendy's

[@keisukekei5914]

I disagree

[@Salmacis32]

Re-watching these videos again now with a bit more of a critical lens in terms of fiction analysis really put episode 7's misgivings into perspective for me. Digi didn't touch on it here, and I can't for the life of me remember if he does in any other videos, but another piece of the whole perpetually virginal but constantly surrounded by sex protag schema that I think has become pretty ingrained in a lot of anime viewers (myself included) is that because this media is created for the audience of teenage boys that its automatically just how it is. To be more clear, it sort of resembles the argument of "well it's just a kid's show" being a hand wave-y way of excusing a lack of quality or interesting messaging; I don't think anyone is actually arguing this point, but I've never seen a whole lot of discourse on it, and I've never heard anyone really bring it up, so it would seem to me that it's sort of just something we all collectively took for granted: Teenage Japanese boys love fantasizing about teenage girls but are awkward about sex, this is just a trope that exists because its seemingly relatable to a majority of the audience. It interests me because the idea makes a lot of assumptions about how often that's actually the case, and sort of tip-toes around any sort of responsibility to properly connect with not only teenagers with differing experiences (heaven's forbid they like guys too) but even the target demographic itself. Being surrounded by hot girls is cool and epic in relation to fantasy for those kids but it at no point informs them of any real way that they should act in that circumstance, be it good or bad. The situation itself is provided but with no actual messaging beyond, "here it is, it's happening, this is how he reacts." It never tries to say anything about why or maybe how it should be handled correctly (in their minds anyway) the scenarios happen and you aren't supposed to think about it at all. This is only really weird to me because in a society where birth rates declining is an actual issue maybe being a bit more educational with your depiction of adolescent sexuality would be more encouraged, usually I'd just chalk it up to no one actually giving a shit. tl;dr Anime horniness is sort of weird. I'll cap off with the admission that I haven't really gone out of my way to watch trashy anime that's come out in recent years so my perspective falls squarely on around the era this video's subject matter came from and before; stuff nowadays could easily have surpassed my assumptions and I wouldn't really have known (though I'm curious to see if there are any examples).

[@GlennMagusHarvey]

Definitely agreed that "anime horniness is sort of weird". The character introductions in this show are unfortunately very much about that, and while I disagree with Digibro's opinion on the show, I still think they could have been much better. More generally, "anime horniness" as expressed in this sort of fanservice tends to be something that often ends up making me go "that person would be considered really weird if they acted like that in real life" which just ends up making me feel awkward watching it, and making said fanservice basically a turnoff. I can chalk it up to the characters being teenagers, but that doesn't make it more enjoyable. (That said, from my observations, these stories tend to move on from initially awkward fanservicey character intros and actually go on to give interesting characterization for at least some of the characters; Asterisk War is an example of such.) Some people say "the guy shouldn't be that embarrased and should just take advantage of the girls' horniness" but (1) that idea's got its own problems and (2) it doesn't make the girls any less weirdly awkward. I don't think a work of art (such as this) necessarily *needs* to have any specific "messaging", but I'd still enjoy it more if the show weren't as weirdly awkward about this.

[@turtleboy1188]

I think your dumb

[@Salmacis32]

@@turtleboy1188 you make a persuasive argument, and I agree.

[@amazingjay5588]

Does a fantasy show need to have a "message" or "education"? Sure, having a moral to a story is usually _good,_ but I don't see it as any sort of necessity. If I'm watching a harem anime, I'm not watching it for some philosophical opinion on sexuality or to learn about modern issues, I'm watching it because I want to watch some girls fawn over some cool guy and pretend like I could potentially be that guy. If you want education, you watch a documentary. If you want a moral, you watch a show with higher quality. But sometimes, I don't want to think about what I'm watching, I'm just tired I want to watching something that I don't need to pay much attention to. And I certainly don't watch a harem anime expecting to learn the proper way to act in that situation, because who the fuck is ever in that situation? I won't ever be, you won't ever be, and most people won't ever be. I guess in summary, sometimes a show is just a show. Not a meta-commentary, and not educational; it's just a story. I sometimes have a hard time getting across my points, so yell at me if I said something weirdly.

[@GlennMagusHarvey]

@@amazingjay5588 Honestly, I wouldn't even say "If you want a moral, you watch a show with higher quality." There are a variety of lesser-known, lesser-respected shows that still explore philosophical/moral ideas. Same with educational ideas and meta-commentary ideas. People can ignore them, but that doesn't mean that they're not there, for people willing to be open to such a possibility.

[@genalex10]

It’s genuinely sad when some hentai have better plot than the Asterisk War

[@Yoicjtenkai]

The plot was absolute shit for chivalry of a failed knight whereas, asterisk war had an interesting plot where someone actually has a good reason for fighting

[@DLTdragon]

@@Yoicjtenkai Wym asterisk war is a shitty version of chilvary

[@jaredjosephsongheng372]

@@DLTdragon Maybe it was backwards

[@Yuchiro24]

@@DLTdragon this is literally the problem with shitty fans like you people are fighting because you guys keep comparing asterisk and chivalry I'd rather call both of them trash and shitty if it means stopping people to hate on either Asterisk or chivalry

[@Oxygen1004]

@@Yoicjtenkai Think you put them in the wrong order

[@xXHeroFTWXx]

This isn't just a roast... It's a crucifixion.

[@mrbanks456]

We need an SAO2 one as well. You can only find certain parts not on youtube.

[@danielquinlan2457]

And I'm pretty sure one of the parts is gone entirely.

[@mrbanks456]

@@danielquinlan2457 Really? I'm checking up on that.

[@mrbanks456]

Oh shit. The part 2 redirect video is gone and so is the dailymotion video.

[@thatonelucariofan503]

JoJo Banks it's availible on his google drive for Patrons. Obviously, I can't link it, and I didn't arrive just to shame people for not being Patrons, I mean, Digi's not even doing bonus rants for his Patrons right now. I just wanted to let people know it's not completely gone :3

[@gyroandhisballs]

hey nice pfp man, im watching HxH right now, at the part where Hisoka is about to fight in the tower. I love this god damn show.

[@Psybur]

K-selected strategists: Species that produce just a few offspring and invests in them heavily to be almost sure that they'll survive. R-selected strategists: Species that have a bunch of offspring and let them fend for themselves, hoping some of them survive. I feel like, in the reproductive game, Kyoto Animations is the former--producing just a couple of projects and investing a lot of resources into them to be almost for sure that they'll succeed--and A-1 Pictures is the latter--going ape-shit with product making while investing little in quality with the hopes that at least one of them" sticks".

[@LimeyLassen]

That's actually kind of a legit way of thinking about it.

[@deecee1853]

Lol this might actually come in my exam

[@GlennMagusHarvey]

A-1's actually done quite a variety of things, some of which are rather well-regarded in the fandom, such as Sora no Woto and The iDOLM@STER. More relevantly, I've heard that A-1 is sort of an amalgamation brand under which a number of freelancers work? I'm not entirely sure of this. But that would explain the volume and variety.

[@ConvincingPeople]

GlennMagusHarvey This was basically true of A-1 during its heyday, but it's become particularly true since nearly all of the few consistent creative staff there jumped ship a few years back to form Cloverworks. Either way, the issue Digi articulates here, while buttressed by A-1's other projects by and large not living up to expectations, is primarily with how they and many other studios approach new-school (i.e. post-Haruhi) light novel adaptations in particular, which is… well, if you watched this, you know.

[@GlennMagusHarvey]

@@ConvincingPeople Which part of the video are you making reference to? I watched the originals a while back and I don't remember exactly where he talks about A-1.

[@Terrance07]

Moral of the story: *Don't be a cliché, dense harem protagonist that's OP with no personality. Instead, become a complex character in the story like Hentai-kun. Problem solved... for now.* 😎👍

[@RandomPerson-cm2wg]

Cliches aren’t a bad thing, they are called cliches because they are overused. And they are overused because they work so damn well. It all depends on the execution. Digibro compared Chivalry and Ass wars in this very video, and Chivalry is the clear winner despite that they both seem ridiculously similar. The difference is that Chivalry’s writer actually put some effort into the damn project.

[@danielramsey6141]

Yeah, but sometimes avoiding the Cliche helps create a New Branch of story that makes the product more original. And especially if the Show can keep the *Tone* right for each episode! Execution is key, but clearly there needs to also be a balance to all the story stuff going on, as Down time is needed to flesh out characters and motivations.

[@R3GARnator]

Conceptually, this is just an Infinite Stratos clone, with worse girls (the girls being pretty much the only thing keeping people watching Stratos).

[@XR-rf2tf]

Or maybe give your character emotions instead of them being cardboard cutouts i dunno just a thought.

[@DeadPig325]

I think the guy in Highschool DXD is actually a pretty decent protagonist. shame?

[@angelovargas938]

A1 then somehow went on to adap both Kaguya and 86 to near perfection, which is crazy

[@midnightflare9879]

I love how Digi calls everyone "Light Novel Guy" and "Girl With The Big Boobs" and "Big Dumb Guy" instead of ther actual names, and it totally makes sense anyway. This show is so bad, you don't even need to know their names to understand the narrative.

[@Risingdoom1]

Ass War: Endgame

[@Fan4tune]

@@kaizokujimbei143???? ⊙.☉

[@romanminaster5180]

@@kaizokujimbei143 "I don't wanna watch it-" *TURNS TO DUST*

[@Bighomie39]

Wouldn't that be Keijo?

[@torgan]

1:49:32 it was forshadowed from the very beginning...

[@romulusnuma116]

It was all rigged from the start

[@guywhomstvepostgood]

THE DEEPEST LORE

[@landonhagan450]

Rewatched the whole thing just now and thought the same the moment I saw that.

[@blindbeholder9713]

Hearing her refer to herself with male pronouns for like 2 minutes straight in 12b really bothered me.

[@Adshercott]

@@blindbeholder9713 At times like this, it's important to remember what Digi said about Wish Giver Salome in 'I Wrote This Light Novel in Like a Day'.

[@Parusaro]

This is the series that got me into Digi-nee. It's so thorough and holds up so well to this day that I'd say this is the best thing to show someone if you're trying to show them the appeal of Digi's anime content. Really happy to have it in a complete package, easy to rewatch or link to a friend. :3

[@natthechristian6271]

Same. This was the first Digi-nee video I ever watched.

[@ConvincingPeople]

While I do not think this one was my first, it was the one that really made me a fan, ride or die.

[@Spyziy]

The way he analyzes the character's look for 10 minutes is so funny

[@nasinnarcotics]

I fell asleep to this video and had a dream that Asterisk War got a remake that centered Kirin as the protagonist and was really fucking good

[@imanijones54]

I’m really bothered by the uniforms. I know, it’s not a crucial detail, but the way it’s just...shrink wrapped onto the girls’ bodies (especially their chest area) is so weird and must be so uncomfortable.

[@RoyalFusilier]

It illustrates how little thought went into the perspective of the girls as people, like these outfits are 100% designed to be seen and 0% designed to be worn. That's true for a lot of series, but in some cases it goes to extremes.

[@goldenpersonwhoexists8834]

exactly, like imagine having to fight in tights. No wonder these girls constantly have to get saved by Kiri-Ayato, their clothes impede on their fighting ability

[@ConvincingPeople]

Even as someone with nowhere near Digi's level of animosity towards A-1 Pictures overall, I think that this series is an absolutely fantastic showcase for her ethos as an anime critic, and indeed for actually *caring* about whether a show is bad and to what degree more generally. It is, writ large, a plea for conscientious and critical enjoyment of media, and I think that's important.

[@obits3]

This is honesty your Magnum Opus. Heck, even if it was only the Chivalry comparison, it would still be a hundred times better than the average anime review video. This video series is, to this day, far more entertaining and in depth than any other anime analysis on the platform.

[@karikjartansson8042]

Holy shit, he astounds me with his omniscience, he literally predicted the entire show within 6 minutes

[@echiko4932]

53:58 "her dere is built directly into her tsun" thats a hell of a line, love it

[@MisterPuck]

Digi: “Continued…” interrupting ad: At Cracker Barrel” Why can’t I just watch it at home? :(

[@etmooreca9612]

Uncanny. I just started rewatching these a couple of minutes ago.

[@nosferatu3726]

same

[@kylerharris4246]

Just finished rewatching it, terrible timing

[@toatrika2443]

@@kylerharris4246 f

[@yabazyabacoffee]

I watched it on netflix because there was hella bored and I already had expected whether I'd like it or not, safe to say I was right overall

[@Doug_MacArthur]

Thank you for deciding to keep this KZbin series relic alive by consolidating all the individual videos that they used to exist as previously into one giant, movie length video essay. Not too long ago (i.e. earlier this evening), I just finished watching this epic, unrestrained dissection and absolute destruction of this widespread series that became mainstream during its time, entirely in one sitting; the circumstances of my life at the moment enabled me to do so with ease and watching this definitely kept me preoccupied and distracted from my less than ideal living situation at the moment. Just to share some quick background context I have with this youtube series, I initially saw part of it back around the time you began uploading each segment of it sequentially and I never got around to finishing it at the time due to not being receptive enough to vehement, unironic hatred of a piece of media. However with that being said, I'm certainly more than open to this type of content and have on the odd occasion actively sought out this style of review and criticism in recent years. Now as for the material and writing of the whole video itself, I thoroughly enjoyed the way you presented it and the thesis and various ideas that were articulated and linked together. You did a great job comparing both similar and nearly identical anime as well as more disparate shows to the work that was mainly under scrutiny throughout the entire video. I also found the sections where you branched off from talking strictly about the Asterisk War itself into more broad, industry-related topics such as anime studios and a plethora of other distinct subject material that on the surface appears unrelated but when examined more closely the connection is evident (only thanks to your research and work that went into drawing those connections though). And finally, towards the end and briefly included in other parts of the video, the personal, anecdotal component of using your past self's worldview and personality according to memory as a sort of case study/benchmark for the kind of demographic that would enjoy certain aspects of this show was brilliant. There's plenty of other things I could elaborate on for why this is a masterpiece of a video essay but I think I addressed the key factors that stood out the most and are most important.

[@theskieshavefallen8408]

'Chivalry of a Failed Knight' has a very similar story but is SOOOOOOO much better. "With all of my Strength I will defeat all of yours" is probably one of the most hype lines in all of anime.

[@Yoicjtenkai]

That's a shit line. It sound like from a communist

[@raviolitacos5755]

i like how ygg gives up and starts calling it ass war lmao

[@user-vw4xp5nt9f]

ass war

[@Zilkenian_Davenport]

To this day, the only "nice guy" character I've seen done very well is Yoh Asakura, from Shaman King, and the only "brute character that comes back later" has been Ryu, from Shaman King as well. They're not flawless, mind you. Yoh is a nice guy whose first introduction to everyone is usually a smile and a "hey!", but then he also very lazy, prefers to lie down all afternoon than walk around, and a lot of times he forgets important stuff. However, because he's lived away from humans for his entire childhood and early teens, he doesn't have all the social skills down, so of course his first intriduction is a friendly "hey!", because that's what normal to him. Obviously he finds himself sometimes in troubles because not everyone is a nice lad. As for Ryu, he starts being a badass bully guy who just kicks anyone who's not in his gang, but soon enough you find out that his gang is formed by people society don't want around, so because for A or for B they were rejected. They group together to find their "special place", where they can find their own happiness, and because they've been treated badly, their first reaction is to act aggressive towards everyone, specially Ryu, since he's the leader and wants to keep his gang away from harm, even though, like any human being, he has a softer side. These two keep developing and learning through the story, and complement each other perfectly well because Yoh's amicable nature gives peace to Ryu, while Ryu's protective nature keeps Yoh safe.

[@wannabehistorian371]

The latter kind of reminds me of Guzma from the Pokémon games too.

[@marlom7882]

Love the shaman king appreciation

[@updog9567]

I thought his name was Rio 😭

[@Zilkenian_Davenport]

@@updog9567 Me to, for the longest time.

[@themisanthropicnihilist8277]

Dang and after it all the asterisk war has a season 2 and possibly a season 3 while the chivalry show just has one, kind of sucks, was looking forward to more from chivalry.

[@tpnphoenix3367]

Aye chivalry of a fail knight is fire and I enjoy asterisks war

[@dcscruz2970]

I want more failed knight! The intro was Bomb

[@hendeyjagger7489]

Probably cause the light novel is pretty popular

[@waynetan4485]

Asterisk war was the clone but it had twice as many episodes what the fuck

[@hendeyjagger7489]

@@waynetan4485 it's not a clone, it came out the same day

[@amelon7261]

Continuing with questioning the world building, even if it is an arguably small plot hole, if Saya's father owns a company producing weapons why wouldn't the characters use those over the swords provided by the academy? Even if Saya's guns don't have anything special about each one, they objectively provide an advantage over the swords provided by the academy.

[@Bluargh02]

The most annoying part of this show is that they wasted so much time the slice of life and character development that they ended the show at the point the story really starts. Like wtf why would you do that?

[@netilii3]

36:15 I headcanon that the reason the photos of the other schools' leaders were censored was because Claudia is aware that they'll eventually become part of the harem. All of the people cencored were women and she was already listing off her character archetype and tropes just before this info dump, so she is genre savvy enough to recognise what type of show she's in.

[@LiftedStarfish]

I really think that the floating holograms only exist because Sword Art Online did it, which made sense because it took place in a video game. The issue is that nobody thought about the fact that there is that key difference.

[@susususu6778]

You missed the opportunity to call this "The Ass War: Anime of The Year Edition" Diginee.

[@questionmarkquestionmarkques]

that would probably be way worse for the algorithm

[@emmetwatcher3540]

I wish I had the focus to go this in-depth about something I don't even like. I was thoroughly entertained the entire way through. Thanks for putting the full series in one video!

[@nandesz5756]

Any time I feel at a loss when it comes to writing/just want a crash course on what to avoid I come here. Good stuff man.

[@primepm8861]

I liked how episode 8 was the closest this show came to passing the Bechdel Test.

[@Nadfin]

Yeah, Chivalry is a massive guilty pleasure for me. And that is solely because it is that "breath of fresh air" series for me. I've had other shows that invoked a similar feeling in me, but Chivalry was the first that really took me by surprise.

[@dcscruz2970]

I liked chivalry and still do. Like finally one who actually does get together and the protagonist doesn’t look too boyish

[@btbwilkinson]

The greatest internet video series of all time, now in one convenient place.

[@hyperhare0624]

Thank you for introducing me to this show Digi! I actually enjoyed "Chivalry of a Failed Knight" and think it should be labeled as the standard average of what this specific "type of show" is like. I mean, if I want to show somebody an example of "a harem where they fight in a tournament with magic swords", I would say this is all you need to watch and to ignore everything else because it is trash. This is an example of an "average" anime and should be utilized in anyone's ranking systems.

[@themocaw]

I have a soft spot for Rakudai Kishi. The light novel was about a C to a C+, but the anime studio elevated the material they were working with a bit.

[@thedoctor4252]

@@themocaw how did you even rate it a C+... I l get everyone has their opinion but the whole seven stars sword art festival arc was just so fking good for it to be a C+ no?...granted after the seven star arc everything went to shit but l digress

[@themocaw]

@@thedoctor4252 C+ is a passing grade, but it's still a shounen sword and girls story. I'd rate it better than crap like Oreimo and Irregular at Magic High. For reference I rate Haruhi Suzumiya and Full Metal Panic as high Bs and Kino's Journey and All You Need is Kill in the A category. Crest of the Stars would be in there but the Tokyopop translation is kind of ass. Negative Happy Chainsaw Edge is around an A-.

[@Danariya1]

This show is painful to watch because of it's stupidity but god I love the colour palette, it is so pleasing to an eye! Eccept for the main character, I hate his shitty shade of purple for hair and eyes. Unfortunately thats the character we have to look at the most...

[@josephhanicak7922]

If a show starts with a " pervert misunderstanding" scene, I'm not watching a single more second of it. That is literally one of the worst tropes in anime, and I can't think of a single time it has ever not made the show objectively worse.

[@DarwinRoger893]

yeah, anime has really normalized objectifying women so much. Also i cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would be into the main guy. anime girls are always simping over the guys you know would shower once a week

[@tophrii]

This video singlehandedly convinced me to give chivalry of a failed knight a try. I watched the whole compilation video with no regrets. Amazing work on deconstructiong not just asterisk war, but also the genre, issues of seasonal anime and the toll they put on studios, and morality in general. Amazing.

[@Sealedaway]

I love how 4 hours of media analysis was an absolute eternity spanning 13 episodes back in 2015, but is now just kinda middle of the road in today’s video essay KZbin. I never gave a shit about Asterisk War (except when I was horrified to hear my high school classmate recommend it to me) but this video series just speaks to me for some reason. It might’ve been this series that made me understand what people mean when they talk about a work having heart. What it means to write with a purpose. And it did so by inviting me to point and laugh at a work completely devoid of any semblance of heart or sincerity. Just a total waste of the talent of the people they got to put it together. It even made me appreciate a lot more what otherwise bad products actually do manage to get right, and understand what other people might see in them. Ironic that being the biggest hater can inspire someone to be more open minded. While the cynical assholery of these video essays feel unmistakably 2015, the format feels very ahead of its time. It’s a shame you had to sit through such an awful show all those years ago, but at least you got to make a killer video series about it. Seriously, it might not mean that much to you nine years later, but I just have to say: fantastic work. Possibly life-changing, even.

[@mysmallnoman]

You never even watched the show yet you think it's bad What a clown

[@Sealedaway]

@@mysmallnoman I am overwhelmingly confident that I would come to the same conclusion if I were to watch the entire thing for myself, given this and all other reviews I’ve seen. If that makes me a clown then honk honk bitch

[@user-sy2mt3lj9c]

This video means a lot to me and to me encapsulates how much I binge watched your videos when I was in high school. I associate your criticism with my teenage years, you’re a creator that had a huge impact on my critical thinking skills. I’m in college now, about to graduate as an English major having spent years writing papers critiquing and complimenting books. I watch this video when I’m having a hard time and want to remind myself of some basic components about criticism, which I find comforting now. Thanks for your work!

[@thequietstag4366]

It took me MONTHS to watch this all the way through.

[@Trixiethegoldenwitch]

Thank you for the dedication!

[@16JPE]

Ah time for my dose of the asterisk war sucks [complete edition]

[@leakinbrolly2379]

It's amazing how far into this I can go and still have no idea what the main character's sister died protecting him from like I think that's probably a big deal or something

[@leakinbrolly2379]

I understand that the circumstances of her death are a mystery to be uncovered but I'd like to have some idea of if there is any source of danger or conflict in the main character's life

[@kissena3830]

The question is, is it always about protecting? Can the reason be different?

[@zezri4187]

rewatched these recently. pretty sure i could quote it word for word at this point. since some episodes have been blocked in my country i'm glad for a place to watch those parts

[@questionmarkquestionmarkques]

this is a great video. theres a solid 30-40 minutes of stuff that i straight up disagree with or dont like but its still one of the most memorable video essays ive seen and i keep coming back to it i love how theres no music so i can play it in the background while doing other stuff

[@ZZValiant]

I unironically watched Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry in a single day because I sat through the first three hours of this video and the bit where the first few episodes were spoiled and legitimately enjoyed my time with it. I would like to think that teenage me would have liked it as well. Really glad I happened on this video. It's a great commentary on storytelling not only in anime, but in art as a whole. Cheers!

[@Ixe2077]

You hyped up the HELL out of Chivalry, from the cute and quirky corpse teacher and the final fight made me want to go watch it. Thank you for making it sound interesting, or rather getting me to go watch a show again.

[@allan4775]

Easily one of my favorite Digi videos; it's like shit-talking down to a science. Super enjoyable all the way through and tbh I think videos like this push people to think more critically about the stuff they watch

[@EllenHourai]

Finally an excuse to watch the whole thing again! I swear, Digi's discussion in part 4 is incredibly enlightening. Also, I still should watch Chivalry of a Failed Knight at some point.

[@waynetan4485]

Ironically chivalry of a failed knight did not have another season or more episodes

[@starwarzchik112]

Don’t. This video makes it sound good, but remember it’s in comparison to AssWar. I couldn’t even get through the first episode.

[@relex_5768]

@@starwarzchik112 I watched it as a kid and rewatched it and still was able to love it start to finish, well aware that nostalgia has a part to play in it but the show is honestly pretty good in my eyes

[@PastorImhotep]

@@starwarzchik112 it's currently one of my favourite anime, mostly cause of the romance between Stella and Ikki. And I'd legit recommend it to anyone.

[@wrigglenight93]

I'd compare Chivalry to something like an upper-mid tier Marvel movie.

[@justlol2305]

I'm genuinely curious as to how this is the same studio who went and somehow made 86 and Kaguya work. Must probably have changed the director or something.

[@chaimingyang5706]

I can't believe i actually binged the whole video in one session. i love the upfront way of stating ur opinion and how u squeeze in a bit of laugh every now and then and even getting educational when the time is right. It's a very entertaining and enjoyable experience for the past 4 hours and I really am grateful for all the sweat and tears that was put in. I will also reevaluate the difference between the '1 out of 10' to a '2 out of 10'

[@themocaw]

Man, Chivalry of a Failed Knight was surprisingly decent. It was the only one of these Magic High School shows that I actually watched and enjoyed all the way through to the end of the season.

[@GiffyMcgee]

This was the first content I ever saw of yours, if I hadn't found your content I probably never would've found any of my closest friends, thanks for a hell of a ride, looking forward to you still never shutting the fuck up.

[@mercaius]

A four hour video by someone I've only just heard of, complaining about a show I've never heard of? Sign me the fuck up!

[@CollegeDroputPowerpoints]

This is literally the godfather of anime reviews, the mid part or the 2/3 of the review is him having to explain why hes doing all of this just like how Corleone came to America and became a crime boss in godfather part 2. This is a spectacle.

[@xedalpha1]

You can’t judge a book by its cover…unless it’s a light novel…when that’s the point. Also, asterisk war makes it sound like a war…with small print.

[@timothymclean]

To be fair, that's the point of covers no matter what kind of book you're judging. To be even fairer, covers are usually meant to project a certain image about the book rather than represent it accurately. One hopes that the image the publisher wants you to have of the book is similar to the reality of the book, but sometimes it isn't.

[@deadmacgaming9066]

I can't believe I just sat down and watched a 4 hours long video for a second time and enjoyed it the same amount that I did the first time that I did as the series was coming out you do amazing work

[@ultimate_oikawa]

Please make things like this in future that's why I subscribed

[@nef36]

Aside from the sheer girth of this video, which I appreciate way too much, we actually needed this, since some of the original videos have been taken down.

[@copacelu93]

Took you long enough to make a full complete series. Whenever I try to recommend this to someone one or two of the videos in the series are missing. Here's hoping this video will survive

[@AlexJoneses]

It's so crazy how similar the two shows are yet even though they follow the exact same plot, chivalry is just leagues better

[@ross3015]

Part 9 is so damn good. I mean, the whole 4 hours is, but part 9 in particular was always my favorite.